The issue begins in the Necropolis, where Shuri has come along with the Hatut Zeraze to find her brother. She asks him what took him so long to come to Wakanda's defence, and he answers that he was busy fighting the armies of Thanos that had invaded the Necropolis. One of Shuri's guards accuses T'Challa of lying and cowardice, prompting T'Challa to strike him. He then reassures Shuri that they will rebuild again, but she is not convinced and asks him what he has been doing in the Necropolis. He tells her that what goes on there is of no concern to her, or the kingdom. He is interrupted by the Dora Milaje who emerge from the Necropolis and declare T'Challa to be a liar. They snap their spears over their knees and tell T'Challa that he has lost both his way and his soul. They proceed to tell Shuri that T'Challa has been conspiring with Namor, who has been regularly visiting Wakanda since attacking it. T'Challa tells her that she doesn't understand, but is unable to explain himself due to his duty to the Illuminati. Shuri banishes T'Challa and forbids him from ever setting foot anywhere in Wakanda other than the Necropolis again. Namor then emerges and applauds T'Challa, who warns him not to taunt him. Namor tells him that he is not taunting him, but applauding his bravery, and tells him that he can now knows what Namor knows, what it's like to face death having already lost everything he holds dear.

Meanwhile, Maximus examines his brother, and tells him that that as a result of the Terrigen Bomb, Black Bolt's powers are greatly diminished, and the two agree to keep his a secret. In the Sanctum Sanctorum, Doctor Strange tells Wong that he has grown tired of watching others make choices of consequence while he does nothing, and informs him that he is not to enter the room no matter what he hears, and that if Strange has not emerged in three days, he is to contact Reed Richards and ensure that the Sanctum Sanctorum is dispatched to another plane, for he is planning to use the Blood Bible.

At the Necropolis, Beast, Reed Richards and Iron Man confer with Black Swan, telling her that much of their arsenal was sabotaged or damaged by Thanos' henchmen. She criticises them for continuing to rely on others to save their world, and dismisses both Thanos and the Builders as feeble threats compared to the multitude of others that await them. She warns them of the Map-Maker's masters, the Black Priests and the Ivory Kings, brushing aside their recent struggles as children playing, calling it all merely the beginning of the death of everything.